Feed-mill



G. E. W. MARSDEN.

FEED MILL.

APPLicATloN FILED AUG. l, 191e.

1,362,724. Patented Dec. 21,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

@y/65565 I r T .wfei

JAWWKM UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. W. MARSDEN, OF BELOIT, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO GEORGE B. `SIA'IER .AND GEORGE E. W. MARSDEN, OF BELII, WISCONSIN,

BUSINESS AS SLATER & MARSDEN.

CPAR'INERS -DOING FEED-MILL.

To all whom if may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. W. MARS- DnN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Beloit, in the county of Rock and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed-Mills, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to a feed mill of the type which is employed for grinding cereals or other food products into meal or flour.

The objects of the invention generally stated are to produce an improved means for regulating the rate of feed of the material to the grinding means, and to provide improved means for mounting the stationary grinding element.

More specifically stated, one ofthe objects of the invention is to provide means which is located between the feeding means (usually a worm) and the grinding means, for providing a variable sized opening through which the material is fed to the grinding means. To this end the invention aims to provide a movable cut-off device by which the size of the feed opening may be regulated, the cut-off device being located as close as possible to the grinding means and being provided with an exteriorly mounted handle by which the position of the cut-off device may be regulated'by the operator.

Heretofore the rate of ow of the material has usually been controlled by means of a sliding gate located in the bottom of the hopper which delivers the material to the grinding means. This construction has been found unsatisfactory for the reason that the flow of the material through the opening controlled by the gate, depends entirely upon gravity, and when the opening is restricted beyond a certain limit the material is very likely to choke in the opening so that the flow of the material will be stopped. For this reason it has always been necessary for the operator to pay more or less close attention to the mill to be sure that the flow of the material not interrupted.

By my construction the cut-off means for regulating the flow of the material is located close to the grinding means and between such means and the means whichris provided for positively feeding the material to the grinding means. The feeding means thus acts positively to pushthe material through or past thel regulating means so that even Specification of Letters Patent. Pat-@nigga De@ 21, 1920. Application filed August 1, 1918. Serial No. 247,730. i

is a fragmental vertical sectional view illustrating so much of a feed mill as is necessary to disclose the features of my invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the parts seen in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a ver- -tical transverse section taken in the plane of line 3 3 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section on line 4--4 of Fig. l. Fig. 5 is an elevational view of one end of the grinder after the grinding elements and casing have been removed. Fig. 6 is a sectional view in the plane of line 6--6 of Fig. 1.

In the exemplary embodiment of my invention, which I have illustrated in the drawings, the mill comprises a suitable base 10 which may be in the form of an integral casting shaped to provide a feed chamber 11 having an inlet 12 whichmay be flared and may have mounted thereon a suitable hopper 13, into which the material to be ground is poured. A housing 14, which may be a separate casting, is removably secured to one end of the body in any suitable way as by means of bolts 14a engaging lugs on the housing and the body. The housing 14 yprovides a grinding chamber and the end of the feed chamber 11 opens into this grinding chamber. The shaft 15 passes axially through the feed .chamber and grinding chamber and is provided with suitable means (not shown) for rotating it.

The grinding means in the form herein shown comprises a grinding element 16 made up of a disk 16a and an annular grinding bur 16b removably bolted to said disk. The disk 16EL is mounted on the shaft 15 to rotate therewith, the mounting means for the disk preferably being such as to allow a lateral rocking movementof the disk in any direction for the purpose of automatically adjusting the face of the grinding bur 16b ink proper cooperative relation to the face of the stationary7 grinding bur to be presently described. 'lhis mounting means may comprise a ball 17 fixed on the shaft 15 and fitting into a socket on the disk 16a, the ball j having a pair of lugs 18 engaging in notches in the socket so as to cause rotation of the disk With the shaft While allowing the lateral adjusting or rocking 'movement of the disk as before explained.

The stationary grinding element 19 comprises a disk 19u and an annular grinding bur 19h removably bolted thereto. The disk 19` is stationarily but removably mounted on the body 10 by means of a pair of projecting lugs 19c on the body entering recesses in the disk. The disk has a central opening 20 Which is preferably of approximately semicircular shape and is located at one side of the shaft 15 through which opening the material from the feed chamber 11 is yfed into the space surrounded by the grinding burs by means Within the feed chamber, Which means in the present instance is in the form of a. Worm 21 fixed upon the shaft 15.

the plate lies closely alongside the disk 19a.

The hub portion 24 forms a bearing surrounding the shaft 15 and projecting through the end Wall of the feed chamber 11. A handle 26 is fixed on the projecting end rofthe hub and provides means for manually rotating the regulator 22 as a Whole to Iadjust the position of the gate 23 with respect to the opening 2O in the disk 19, so that the gate may leave the opening entirely clear and unobstructed, or may cut off a sector of the opening of any desired size. The handle 26 is provided with corrugations or teeth 27 surrounding the hub 24 and arranged to in'terengage With a projection 28 on the end Wall of the feed chamber 11. A coiled compression spring 29 surrounds the hub 24 Within the feed chamber', and presses the regulator as a Whole toward the grinding means, thereby maintaining the corrugations 27 on the handle in engagement with the projection 28, so that the regulator Will be held in any position at which it has been set. The spring 29 also serves to hold the gate 23 close to the disk 19a.

It Will be seen that 'if the HOW of the material Will depend upon gravity alone, and

if the throat 12 be considerably restricted, the passageway is very apt to become clogged. With my construction, the passage of the material to the grinding means is controlled by the gate 23 cooperating With the disk 19, which parts are located at the grinding means or between the latter and the Worm 21, which acts to positively force the material through the opening 2O in the disk. In this way a continuous passage of the material to the grinding means is insured even though the opening 2O be very much restricted-in size.

The disk 19L performs the dual function of providing a support for the grinding bur 191 and coperating With the gate 23. The

disk further provides means for facilitating the changing of the stationary grinding bur 19b when desired. To this end the housing 14 may be removed, whereupon the ball 17 and grinding element 16 may be Withdrawn from the shaft 15 after removing the securing bolt for the ball. The stationary grinding element 19 may now be removed by simply Withdrawing the disk from engagement with the lugs 19C. Said element may thus be taken to any desired place to remove the grinding bur and replace it With one of different character.

l claim as my invention:

1. A feed mill having, in combination, a feed chamber, a grinding chamber alined with said feed chamber, a rotary shaft passing through both chambers, a Worm fixed on said shaft in the feed chamber, a grinding element fixed on said shaft Within the grinding chamber, a stationary grinding element including a plate mounted in the grinding chamber, the plate having an opening through which said shaft extends, a regulator comprising a hub portion surrounding said shaft at one end of said Worm, and a gate portion positioned at the opposite end of the Worm and adjacent to said plate, said gate portion being arranged to cut off more or less of said opening through the plate when rotated, a spring surrounding said hub portion and acting to hold the gateportion close to said plate, said hub portion projecting through one end of said feed chamber, and a handle fixed on the projecting end of said hub portion adapted to be moved by the operator to adjust the position of the gate to control the size of the opening throu 'h said plate.

2. feed mill having, in combination, grinding means including a pair of coperating annular grinding burs, a rotary shaft, means by which one of said burs is caused to rotate with said shaft, stationary lmeans supportingthe other bur and having a central opening through which material is `fed into the annular space Within the burs, means for feeding the material through said opening, and means forming a portion of one wall of the annular space within said burs and located between said feeding means and the burs for regulating the size of said opening to control the rate at which the material will be fed to the burs.

3. A feed mill having, in combination, grinding means, means for positively feeding material thereto, means located between said grinding means and said feeding means for controlling the rate of passage of the material, and manual. means at the opposite end of said feeding means for adjusting said control means.

4. A feed mill having, in combination, a rotary shaft, grinding means including a non-rotatable grinding element and a rotary grinding element mounted on said shaft to move therewith, means for positively feeding the material to said grinding means, means in the nature of a gate located between said grinding means and said feeding means for controlling the rate of passage of the material, and means permitting a slight rocking motion of one grinding element with respect to the other, said last mentioned means being embodied in the mounting of said rotary element whereby said non-rotatable element provides a iixed surface cooperatiner with said gate.

A feed mill having, in combination, a feed chamber, a stationary grinding element closing one end of said feed chamber and having an aperture, a rotatably sliding member adapted to control said aperture and resilient means holding said sliding member in operative position.

6.. A feed mill having, in combination, a feed chamber, a stationary grinding element closing one end of said feed chamber and having an aperture, an adjustable member slidably engaging said element and adapted to control said aperture, means in the nature of a plurality of teeth adapted to lock said member in adjusted position and a spring resiliently holding said member in sliding engagement with said grinding element and in locking engagement with said teeth.

7. A feed mill having, in combination, grinding means, a feed chamber, a shaft passing through said chamber and driving said grinding means, a device fixed on said shaft within said feed chamber for feeding the material to said grinding means, means between said device and the grinding means for controlling the rate of passage of the material, a part projecting from the opposite end of the feed chamber and having a handle fixed thereon outside of the feed chamber and an operative connection between said projecting part and said controlling means.

8. A feed mill having, in combination, a feed chamber, grinding means, means in the feed chamber for feeding material to the grinding means, and a regulator including a part within the feed chamber for controlling the flow of material to the grinding means, a part outside of the feed chamber to be manually operated, the feed chamber and said outside part having coperating portions whereby the regulator will be held in adjusted positions, and a spring acting on the regulator to maintain said devices in engagement.

9. A feed mill having, in combination, a feed chamber, a shaft passing therethrough, grinding means operable by said shaft, a worm fixed on said shaft within the feed chamber, there being an opening through which said worm pushes the material to the grinding means, a regulator comprising a gate to control the effective size of said opening, and a hub surrounding said shaft and projecting through one wall of the feed chamber, means on said hub having an engagement with a part fixed with relation to the feed chamber for holding the regulator in adjusted positions, and a spring surrounding said hub within the feed chamber for maintaining said holding means in operative relation.

10. A feed mill having, in combination, a feed chamber, a shaft passing therethrough, grinding means operable by said shaft, a feeding device fixed on said shaft within the feed chamber, and a regulator comprising a hub surrounding said shaft at one end of said device and projecting through one end of the feed chamber, a handle fixed on said hub outside of the chamber, and a gate located at the opposite end of said device arranged to control the effective size of the opening through which said device feeds the material to sald grinding means, said gate being adapted to be adjusted to different positions by movement of said handle.

11. A feed mill having, in combination, a feed chamber, said feed chamber having an aperture, an adjustable member slidably engaging the wall of said chamber and adapted to control said aperture, means in the nature of a plurality of teeth adapted to lock said member in adjusted position, and a spring resiliently holding said member in sliding engagement with the wall of said chamber and in locking engagement with said teeth.

12. A feed mill having, in combination, a body providing a feed chamber, an apertured disk closing one end of said chamber, a grinding bur carried by said disk, a cooperating grinding element, means in the feed chamber for feeding material through the aperture in said disk to the grinding means, means engaging said disk for controlling the effective size of said aperture, and a spring pressing said controlling means against said disk.

13. A feed mill having, in combination, a body providing a feed chamber, a non-rota-l ltable disk Closing one end of said chamber,

cooperating lugs and recesses on said body and disk for removably mounting the disk, a grinding bur carried by said disk, a cooperating grinding element, the disk having an opening therein, means in the feed chamber for feeding material through said opening to the grinding means, and means for controlling e'l'eotive size of said opening.

14. A feed mill having, in combination, a rotary grinding element, a stationary'grinding element Comprising a disk having a grinding bur removably mounted thereon, means for detaehably mounting said disk whereby to permit the disk and the bur carried thereby to be removed from the mill to permit of changing the bur, said disk being 'eut away to provide an aperture for the passage of material to said bur and an adjustable closure controlli-ng the aperture.

15. A feed mill having, in combination,

-tWo detachable bur-carrying plates, burs removably secured to said plates, a body, a shaft extending through said body and centrally through said plates, and a retaining member on 'said shaft adapted to engage one of said plates, said plates'being located between said retaining member and said body whereby said retaining member operates to hold both plates in position.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

GEORGE E. W. MAnsDEN.v 

